What if it happens again?
by tessinciucy
Summary: Sequel to my Halloween story, What happens on Halloween... Deeks and the team are trying to figure out what happened on Halloween, but as always new troubles are waiting for them.


Ok, I lied. I said that my Halloween story was supposed to be a one-shot, but I felt I could give you a little explanation and this idea came to my mind.

As always I own nothing, I just like to play with these characters. A lot!

A big thank you to purecraziness for her help.

* * *

What it it happens again?_  
_

"Aaarrgghh…. No… please. Stop!" His own screams woke him up from another nightmare, leaving him disoriented and confused with his heart madly beating in his chest ready to explode at any moment.

Deeks blinked several times trying to focus on where he was and when he was finally starting to realize that he was in his living room, on his couch, a light touch on his shoulder made him jump, crying out with fear, accidentally pushing Monty, who was sleeping on his stomach, to the floor.

"Deeks! It's ok. It's me… Kensi. It's all right. Everything is all right." Kensi's calming voice reached his ears and he finally saw her kneeling in front of him, looking at him with her worried mismatched eyes. "It was just a dream. You're safe here."

He tried to stop the trembling, concentrating on her face, on her expression… on her eyes that always had a mesmerizing effect on him. He finally took a long deep breath, letting go of a bit of tension that had accumulated. "A nightmare. It was another nightmare… bad dreams are not so scary." He passed a hand over his face, stopping on his jaw, on his mouth as he wanted to be sure that everything was fine, that everything was in its place.

His partner got up and immediately sat on the couch next to him, followed by his loyal dog who climbed up, resting his face on his lap. "You're safe," she repeated staring straight at his eyes, so full of fear and desperation, so different from the usual joyful orbs she loved so much. "No one is going to hurt you anymore."

"Are you sure, Kensi? Are you really sure that whatever happened in that warehouse on Halloween won't happen again?" The cop almost yelled, frustrated. It had been almost two months after that Halloween night, when he almost died. Again. Two months almost entirely spent at the hospital because of a very bad infection that had spread from the wound on his side to all of his body, especially to his injured mouth. Fever had consumed him for days, sending him on the edge of a precipice. For at least a week, he was so close to death that some of the doctors were losing hope to save him. Then one day, he miraculously started to get better. The infection receded and the fever went down, leaving him and his body completely drained of all the energy, but at least alive.

It was then though, that the nightmares had started, hitting him in full force, every time he closed his eyes. The doctors had been forced to give him sleeping pills because without his sleep he would never recover from his ordeal, but now, that he was at home, that he was healing nicely, Deeks decided that he didn't want to depend on pills anymore. Mostly he didn't want to sleep, because sleeping meant going back to dark memories and dark places.

During this last period, Kensi had been the only one who managed to give him some peace, to help him relax a little, enough to rest, but even her reassuring presence couldn't erase the nightmares completely.

And today was a demonstration of this fact. The cop had closed his eyes only for a few minutes and his mind dragged him back to that warehouse where he lay on the dusty floor, wounded and unable to defend himself, while the ghost of his father hurt him with a drill in his mouth, as much as Sidorov's goon had done months ago.

Nervously, he started petting Monty who looked at him with his big soft eyes, filled with unconditional love for his master.

"Deeks, whatever happened in that warehouse is over. You're here now, you're recovering and soon you'll be able to go back to work and to your life," she told him, hoping to break the wall of uncertainties, of fears that surrounded him. She had still in her mind the long weeks when Deeks had shut everyone off after his terrible experience in Sidorov's hands. The last thing she wanted was to see him retreat back to that man who simply wanted to get away from everything and everyone.

Silently she cursed Bates who put him through all of this. If only he didn't send her partner undercover around Halloween none of this would have ever happened and right now, they would be simply planning their Christmas' holidays.

"It's not over, Kens, not until I will find out what the hell happened to me over there! Because… because I… I saw him, I heard him…" he stopped, clenching his fists tightly until his knuckles whitened. "I know what Hetty told me, I know that… he's dead, but I am sure of what I saw. He… he was there Kens. He was there."

Kensi had seen Deeks in almost every situation. She had seen him sad, angry, something that rarely happened, she had seen him happy, frustrated, tired, demotivated, even disappointed, but she had never seen him like this. Even in that moment when she found him in Sidorov's car repair shop tied to that chair, when he was scared to death, desperate to get away from that place, he was not as terrified as he was in this very moment. She could understand that everything related to his father touched him in a different way, going deep into his soul. Maybe she couldn't truly understand it, because she never had to live in something similar, fearing one of the few people who should protect you for your entire life. For a moment she tried to imagine what it could be living day after day, being scared of going home, of saying the wrong word, of doing a mistake, simply being afraid that your own father might beat you unconscious. Just the thought was terrifying.

"Deeks, you know the truth. He's dead, we even double-checked, Hetty even managed to force a coroner to run a DNA test. It's confirmed that he's dead, there was no mistake. You know it." The NCIS agent added, hoping to see a change in his behavior.

"I know, but I know as well what I saw back there…" Deeks finally turned to look at her, locking his teary eyes, veiled with unshed tears, on hers. "Am I going crazy, Kens? Am I losing my mind?" He said these last few words with a feeble voice, sounding so child-like that it almost broke her heart.

"You're not crazy and you're not losing your mind. You were sick before starting that undercover mission, running a fever already, then you were shot and abandoned, left all alone, in a warehouse while waiting for the paramedics to come and treat you. You probably hallucinated and your mind played an evil trick with you, materializing your worst fears. It's understandable." Kensi took his hand in hers to make him feel that he was not alone, that she was there for him and mostly that she didn't think he was crazy or anything close to that. "No one judges you, no one thinks you're crazy, so stop thinking it yourself. You were sick… it can happen. And you saw the surveillance videos, no one besides you, Catalano, and the paramedics walked in or out of that place!"

"Yeah and how did I end up with holes in my teeth and gums? How did I have to get another surgery to repair the damage? Do you have a logical explanation for this too? Because if you have one, I would be glad to hear it… sincerely I'm at loss for other ideas…." He sounded even more desperate and lost in that moment. "And not for the lack of trying. I can't stop thinking, I am trying to figure it out. I simply can't stop thinking, but nothing has come to me. Nothing that makes sense!"

Kensi gave him a kind smile before talking. "Maybe this is the problem, maybe you're simply thinking too much. Maybe if you stopped thinking, a solution will come to you." She guided him down to the couch, making him lay down on his back with Monty, who cuddled against him. "And speaking of this, why don't you try to get some rest? You look like you truly need it. Get some sleep and in the meantime, I will take Monty out for a walk. Even if he is acting like nothing happened and he doesn't want to leave your side, he needs to go out, stretch his legs, and do whatever he needs to do."

"I don't need to sleep, I need to…"

She silenced him, putting a finger on his lips. "No complaints. Just rest. Do it for me, please."

Deeks stared at her, at her eyes, and as always he couldn't resist. He was simply unable to say no to her. "Ok, I… I try, but when you come back, you wake me up, and we'll order some food and watch some tv. Ok?"

She shook her head, not very convinced. "Just rest. Come on, Monty, time to go."

The dog reluctantly moved from his comfortable position, joining Kensi near the door where she put his leash on him and opened the door. She was walking out when Deeks called her.

"Kensi, so… I… Am I really not going crazy? Do you really believe it? You're not just being nice to me…"

Kensi chuckled, sweetly. "Deeks, shut up and rest or I'll show you hundreds of way to drive you crazy, for real!"

Her words brought a sad smile to his face.

She watched him close his eyes and before she could even step through the door, the sound of light snoring reached her ears.

* * *

Nell stepped through the sliding doors of Ops, finding Eric busy with something on his computer. He was so concentrated, so focused that he didn't hear her approach at all.

As the analyst walked closer to her partner in crime, she realized what he was watching and her forehead wrinkled. "What the hell are you doing, Eric?" she asked placing her face right beside his, startling him.

The tech jumped on his feet, completely unprepared for her arrival. "Hey, Nell… you… do you want to give me a heart attack? Couldn't you warn me before shouting in my ears?" He was shaking and he had to sit back in his chair because his legs were trembling.

"It's not my fault that you were so focused on that video that you didn't even hear me approach." She frowned, giving him a puzzled look. "My question is still the same though, what are you doing with that video? I thought you literally dissected it before!"

"It's just that I was at home last night and I was watching some old movies, you know those black and white movies, with all those scratches on the film," he paused letting her adsorb his words. "Well, something clicked in my mind. I still don't know what I am looking for but I know that there's something strange in this video, something that I can't put my finger on, but that I am sure it's important."

"Do you think it's been altered? We already looked for a cut, something… anything that could tell us that there's something missing in that video, but we didn't find any trace of alteration." Nell felt a sense of uneasiness grow inside of her. Since the moment they watched the video for the first time, they've been shocked because there was nothing that could tell them how Deeks received those kind of injuries if no one had been there with him. It had been something that had haunted her for a while. Now that she had made peace with that, Eric had to bring the subject back.

"I am sure it was altered. I just need to prove it." Without taking his eyes away from the screen, Eric got back to what he was doing before being interrupted.

"Did you check the number of the frames? Any missing ones?" Nell asked without much conviction. Someone as computer skilled as Eric had probably checked that detail first thing.

"Everything is perfectly in sequence, no missing frames. Damn it! Nothing of nothing!" The tech was getting frustrated because of his inability to find a clue. He knew that it was there, that the solution to his problem was right in front of him. If only he was able to see it. Uncharacteristically he slammed the palm of his hand on his desk and a couple of crumbles of the Oreo he secretly ate in Ops ended up on the screen as the video played. His face brightened up at the sight. "It can't be… it's…"

Nell watched him working frantically on the keyboard, his eyes glued to his computer. "Eric? What's up? What did you see?" She asked, but her partner didn't seem to hear anything she said. She waited several minutes and when he didn't talk to her, she snapped. "Come on, Beale! Tell me what the hell is going on!"

Eric stopped what he was doing, turning to face her, a big smile on his face. "What do you see?" He indicated an area of the screen, but the analyst was puzzled. She didn't know where he was going.

"Eric, I don't understand," she said, frowning.

"Here," he indicated, pointing at the screen right over Deeks' sitting and shaking form in the video.

And finally Nell saw something, a little detail that she didn't notice before. "It looks like a scratch or a single white hair."

"Indeed!" Eric replied triumphantly. "And what do you see here?" He fast-forwarded the video to the moment in which Deeks was curling into a ball, clearly hurt and in pain.

"It's the same scratch…" Nell was still confused. "Look Eric, I am not in the mood for riddles, especially with that video playing in front of me. It's disturbing. So please tell me what you found, now!"

The tech smiled and without adding a single word he rewound the video, slowly. "Just follow the scratch, concentrate on it."

Images slid backwards but the analyst did as Eric told her, concentrating on the scratch on the screen and finally saw what he wanted her to see. The scratch was always there except for a couple of frames in which it disappeared from the view. "It… it was gone. There was a moment in which it was not there! Eric you're a genius!" Nell exclaimed proudly.

"Not so fast…. Now the hard job is trying to retrieve the original video and see who did this." The tech's expression was serious, every trace of joke was gone. They both knew how important it was. Someone altered the video to cover traces of what had been done to Deeks. If they found out who did it, they would be able to stop him or her and get this person before he could hurt their friend again.

"So, let's do it and let's do it quick!" The petite analyst took off her jacket and sat at her own desk as she started working at her own computer. "Let's find who did this!"

* * *

Callen and Sam were in the bullpen discussing with Hetty about the outcome of their last case; mostly she was scolding them because their reports were not already on her desk as she asked for hours ago. The conversation was still very friendly, but the Operations Manager's words were steady and firm.

"Mr. Callen, don't make me tell you again that I need your reports on my desk within the next hour or you will be on paper duty for the next month!" she said, menacing them, with her pointed finger.

"You just did it, actually," the team leader smirked cunningly, casting a furtive glance at his partner who couldn't do anything other than chuckle.

"You better stop being cheeky and start working. I am not joking." Hetty insisted, freezing them with her cold and indecipherable stance.

"But this is not fair! Why are you bugging us when Kensi's pile is higher than G's and mine put together? You should push her to do her job as well." Sam protested, indicating the pile of files on his younger teammates' desk.

The Operations Manager moved her hands behind her back, almost ignoring the man's protest "Miss Blye is busy with another assignment, far more important than some stupid reports."

Callen exchanged a serious look with his partner, knowing exactly what his boss was referring to. "How's Deeks, Hetty?"

"Last time we saw him, he seemed pretty shaken." The ex-Seal couldn't hide his concern. After everything they went through together in the hands of Sidorov, things had changed between him and the detective. Sam had realized how wrong he had been judging Deeks only because of his hair or of his aspect. The cop was much more than that and he had witnessed with his own eyes. He had seen what Deeks had endured without breaking up, only to save his wife and he will never be grateful enough for that. There were things that the two of them didn't share with anyone, not even Callen or Kensi, things that had changed their relationship, moving it to a different level, where respect was very important. Since that terrible experience, the ex-Seal had become more protective of Deeks and for this reason he had been pretty affected by what happened to the detective on Halloween.

"Mr. Deeks is recovering nicely, physically at least. His mental state is a bit more complicated, which is why Miss Blye needs to be there with her partner." Hetty stated, sighing heavily. She was still pretty shaken herself, mostly because she truly couldn't give an explanation to what happened in that warehouse.

"He needs to know who hurt him!" Sam almost snapped as his fists clenched.

"Maybe we might have an answer to that!" Eric said jogging down the stairs and joining the rest of the team in the bullpen. Nell was right behind him.

"What do you mean, Mr. Beale? I thought there were no traces…" The Operations Manager narrowed her eyes as her attention had been definitely picked.

"That's what we thought, but Eric found something that proved that the surveillance video of that warehouse has been altered." The petite analyst smiled at her partner, nodding, suggesting him to go on talking.

"We found a little detail that proved that some frames have been removed so we scanned the entire video with a new program that I found on the CIA…" Eric paused realizing that he was walking in dangerous territory.

"Oh I don't care where you found your source Mr. Beale. Tell us what you found!" Pressed Hetty, who was getting a bit anxious.

"Ok, here's what we found." The tech worked on his tablet and a video played on the big plasma.

It started as everyone already knew with Paul Catalano dragging a barely conscious Deeks in the warehouse. This time there was something more before the images showed the cop crumpled on the floor with blood pouring out of his mouth. Other images appeared on screen, showing a man approach the defenseless cop. As he came closer, Deeks started to getting agitated, clearly scared… terrified by what the mysterious man was telling him.

In the video, they saw Deeks trying to press his body against the wall he was leaning against, hoping to find an escape, but the man came closer and closer, until he placed something in the cop's mouth.

"Stop!" Sam shouted, turning the plasma off. His eyes were filled with a mix of sadness and anger. "There's no need to see anymore of this…" he paused trying to keep his own emotion under control, then taking a long breath, he asked firmly. "Who the hell is he?"

This time it was Nell who toyed with her pad and a picture popped up on screen. "Detective Jerome Franks."

"A cop? A cop did this to Deeks?" Callen asked, shocked.

"Franks' career has been literally destroyed by one of the undercover operations Deeks has been part of. He was dirty and involved with some big names of the underground organizations of LA. He ended up in jail for five years before some pretty good lawyers managed to get him out on parole." The analyst explained keeping her eyes on Franks' face on screen. "We found that someone hacked into Deeks LAPD file. Whoever did it, found a lot about his past and about the whole Sidorov' case… probably passing the information on to Franks."

"Son of a bitch! Do you have an address?" Callen almost shouted, clearly furious. It was not common seeing him like this, but this story was beyond cruel and it involved one of their own, so it involved them all.

"Already on your phones." Eric stated.

"Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna, bring Franks in, possibly alive. He has me to answer to for hurting one of my men!" She looked at the two techs, catching their attention. "Contact Miss Blye and update her on the new evidence. Tell her to try not to tell anything to Mr. Deeks. He needs facts not just supposition. We will let him know when we get Franks in custody. In the meantime, I am going to contact Bates." With that Hetty turned on her heels and walked away while Sam and Callen rushed out of Ops.

Nell and Eric were then left alone, standing in the bullpen. She turned to face him, smiling. "Good job, Beale!" She offer her hand for a high-five.

"Good job indeed, Jones." The tech slapped her hand, smiling satisfied. "Let's hope they can find him now."

* * *

Deeks woke up abruptly hearing a sound in the kitchen. He didn't even realize that he had dozed off when Kensi walked Monty out and he didn't even have the slightest idea of how long he had been out.

"Kensi?" He called without receiving an answer. "Kensi, are you there? Monty, come on boy, where are you?"

When, again, he didn't receive any answer, his hand moved furtively and instinctively under the pillow, looking for his gun.

"Looking for this one?" A voice coming from behind him sent cold shivers down his spine. He knew that voice because it was the one haunting him in his nightmares.

"What… who are you?" He asked, laboriously putting himself into a sitting position and scanning the room looking for something he could use as a weapon.

A dark figure came in focus right in front of him, holding his gun and pointing it at him. "It's been a long time, Deeks."

"Franks?" Deeks was surprised to find the former detective in his apartment, but he didn't have any doubts about the reasons.

"Surprised to see me?" Franks came closer, approaching the couch. His expression was the one of someone who knew what he was doing and who was determined to get what he wanted. "I have to say that the last time we met was fun, you were so out of it that you thought I was your daddy. Because you loved your daddy, didn't you, little Marty?" A devilish grin curled his lips as he spoke. He was just few inches away from Deeks, who hadn't move a single muscle.

"If you want to kill me, Franks, do it and finish it. Now!" The cop almost screamed angrily. He was still trying to figure a way out of this situation. Franks had a gun pointed at him, if he tried to move, there was no doubt that the former-detective would shoot him.

"Shoot you? It's just too easy Deeks… you steal five years of my life, you sent me to jail along with all those scumbags, all those perverts… I want to hear you scream before killing you, beg me for mercy." With a rapid movement, Franks pistol-whipped Deeks, opening a gash above his left eye that started oozing blood profusely, blurring his sight. Then with vehemence, he grabbed the cop by his shirt, dragging him to the floor. "Kneel!" He ordered.

Deeks panted, trying to focus on the other man's figure that was fuzzy instead. "Make me…" he muttered defiantly, regretting it immediately when Franks kicked him on his injured side, making him scream in pain.

The former-cop didn't waste any more time, he grabbed Deeks' hands and handcuffed them behind his back and then forcefully pushed him on his knees. He circled his captive like a shark ready to attack. "Tell me Deeks, how does it feel having your teeth drilled? You were squeaking, crying like a baby, begging me to stop. I wonder how your first time was." He yanked the cop's hair, tilting his head backwards and Deeks froze, remembering how Sidorov's hands kept him steady as his goon placed the brace in his mouth before using the drill.

"What? No witty remarks. You disappoint me, Deeks… your smart mouth is infamous." The barrel of the gun danced on the detective's face, making him shiver at every graze. "Are you scared? Are you terrified as much as you were in that car repair shop? As you were when you were tied to that chair?"

Deeks was paralyzed. Images danced in front of his eyes as his heart beat madly in his chest. Memories seemed so real, so vivid. "How do you know all of this?" He murmured trying to get rid of the other man's touch.

A fat laugh resounded in the room, as Franks burst out laughing loudly. "I know everything about you. I met some very interesting people in jail who were able to find everything about you. About your shitty childhood, about your caring daddy, about your mother… about how you shot your father, why you're not a lawyer anymore…. About Sidorov and what he did to you. Everything. Every little detail of your fucking life is in my hands. I know how to hurt you… and I know your weaknesses."

The cop once again struggled to get away from the other man's tight hold, but this made Franks only angrier. A couple of heavy blows reached Deeks' back and then others hit his side.

Deeks doubled over for the agony coursing through his body, cursing his weakness, but before he could do anything to react, his hair was grabbed again and he was put on his knees.

"What do you think I can do with your lovely partner? She's such a nice piece of ass. I bet she's so great in bed." The former detective whispered in the cop's ear. "I will make her scream with pleasure…"

At the mention of Kensi, something clicked in Deeks' mind. Adrenaline pumped in his veins, giving him strength that he didn't even know he had. With a quick movement, he head slapped his opponent, startling him and then, ignoring the pain and the ache of his burning side, he launched himself against Franks, using his body as a leverage.

For a moment it seemed that he could have the best against the former cop, but a well-delivered blow to his wounded side and another to his mouth, changed the cards on the table.

"You son of a bitch, you'll pay for that!" Franks furiously yelled, alternating between kicking Deeks in the stomach and in his back. "I have had enough of you, you little bastard! It's time to finish what I started and then I will take care of your partner!"

Deeks' whole body was on fire, the pain simply unbearable. Breathing was getting harder and harder, every little movement was an excruciating agony. His unfocused eyes caught a glimpse of the barrel of a gun aimed at him.

He knew it was over, this time it was really over. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and a second later a gunshot resounded in the air.

* * *

The door slammed open and Monty ran inside,but Franks didn't even realize what was happening until he felt a bite on his leg. Pain exploded in his limb as he saw a dog with his teeth planted in his flesh.

Monty didn't have any intention of letting go of the man who was hurting his master and continued applying pressure in spite of the former cop's attempt of kicking him away.

Franks cried out because of the pain and in frustration. "Let me go, you rat bastard!" He yelled remembering that he had a gun in his hand. He aimed it at the dog and was ready to pull the trigger when a gunshot resounded in the air.

At first he didn't feel anything but saw a woman standing on the doorstep holding a weapon and looking at him with a furious expression. Then he watched his shirt turn from a light blue to purple as blood poured from a wound in his chest. He finally registered the pain, but it was too late… his legs failed him and he fell to the floor. Dead.

"Deeks!" Kensi shouted uncaring of Franks' falling form. Her attention was directed to her partner who lay bleeding and unconscious on the ground. She rushed at his side, freeing him from the handcuffs, checking for a pulse, relieved when she found one. It was feeble, but steady. "Come on, Deeks, it's over. You're ok. Open your eyes…"

After he let go Franks' leg, Monty followed her and moved to the other side of Deeks' form and started licking his face, attempting to wake up his master.

Deeks' eyes fluttered open, they were glassy and unfocused, filled with pain, but a tentative, creepy and mostly bloodied smile curled on his lips. "Hey Fern… you… you came to save me."

Kensi smiled, a bit relieved to see him conscious and coherent enough to crack a joke in spite of his horrible appearance. Blood covered the better part of his face, his white t-shirt was stained with red spots and the wound on his side was bleeding again. "You should stop getting yourself into trouble so I don't have to save your ass. I am tired of you playing the damsel in distress."

"You love my ass, that's why you like saving it…" he said before a coughing fit hit him.

"Hey, relax, it's going to be fine. Paramedics are on their way. Soon you'll be back at the hospital where they will take care of you." She told him sweetly, making soothing circles on the back of his hand.

"Enough of the hospitals…" he murmured closing his eyes, barely conscious.

"That's another reason why you should stop messing with the wrong people." Kensi realized that he had slipped into unconsciousness.

She waited for the paramedics to come and, as they checked on him, she never let go of his hand. They were moving the stretcher he was lying on in the ambulance, when Deeks' eyes flashed open. "Kens…" he called, feebly.

She leaned towards him, to hear what he wanted to tell her. "I am not crazy…" He smiled and then he passed out.

* * *

He opened his eyes, blinking several times, finding himself in front of a Christmas tree. Before he could say a single word, Kensi's face appeared in his eyesight, smiling at him.

"About time you decided to wake up! I was wondering if you needed the kiss of a princess to wake up from your beauty sleep," she said, looking at him with a gentle expression.

"I should have slept a little while longer then…" He tried to straighten up but her hands pushed him onto the mattress and he realized why. His whole body screamed in pain, protesting vehemently. "You should try to kiss me, Princess Kensalina."

"Oh shut up, Deeks! Thank the fact that you're in that bed or I would punch you!" Kensi showed him her fist, but her eyes softened as she smiled.

"How are you feeling, Deeks?" Sam intervened, moving closer to the bed. "You had us worried."

"I'm… I'm good," The cop replied, surprised to find the whole team, Hetty included, in the room. "Wow, that's what I call a welcome committee."

"As Mr. Hanna said, you worried us, Mr. Deeks. You've been out for three days. Maybe you might reconsider your last answer. How are you feeling?" Hetty appeared out of nowhere, placing a hand over his.

"And don't you try to say you're good, because you look like crap, man." Callen looked at him with a scolding glance, but his eyes were sincerely full of concern.

"It hurts like hell." Deeks smirked, but even the simple, natural gesture made him cringe. "Worse, probably…"

"Big baby!" Kensi shook her head. Even if she was the person who knew him better than anyone, she was still surprised when he joked like this even if he was probably in agony. Franks' attack had caused him a lot of damage, especially to his still-not-healed wound. An infection had spread and that was the reason why he had slept for so long, but now he was on the mend and the doctor assured them that he was going to be ok.

"I didn't realize that we were so close to Christmas," he said out of nowhere, looking at the decorated tree.

"Nell and Eric thought that you might like it so they literally begged the nurse to put one up, only for you. To help your spirit.

"Thank them for me, I… appreciate it." Unconsciously, Deeks yawned. He might have been sleeping for three days but he felt so tired, so worn out.

"Maybe it's better if we leave you to rest. You look like you need it." Sam told him, placing a hand over his shoulder, protectively, in a fatherly gesture.

"We'll be back tomorrow." Callen added, moving towards the door.

"Please, bring me some coffee… and a jello, I bet Kensi ate mine," the cop joked, hissing when his side protested. "And if she didn't, Hetty did it."

"I don't partake in some frugal meal, Mr. Deeks. My taste is a little bit more sophisticated." Hetty pointed out and Deeks answered simply by lifting his eyebrows. Everyone laughed, enjoying the funny moment.

Sam was opening the door to leave when a nurse stepped inside carrying a yellow envelope. "It's nice to see you awake, Mr. Deeks. I better call the doctor to let him know that you're finally among us," the young nurse smiled a bit embarrassed, like she knew she had interrupted something. "I just came here to bring you this. A man left it at the reception desk for you. I was going to lay it on your bedside table."

"A man?" the cop wondered, feeling a sense of uneasiness growing inside of him.

"Yes, in his early sixties. Sandy hair… strong build. Blue eyes… like yours I have to say…" The nurse noticed that the atmosphere around her had changed, that the smiles had left space to worried expression. "I… I better go get the doctor."

Deeks stared at the envelope, his hands shaking. A simple word had been hand written on it. _Marty._

"Deeks? Deeks, are you ok?" Kensi asked, worried by the sudden change in his behavior, by the darkness she could read in his eyes. "Do you want me to open it for you?"

Deeks was not listening though. His eyes were glued on the envelope and without even realizing, he found himself opening it, fighting the shaking of his fingers. He paled as the content slipped out, ending on his lap.

"Deeks… hey man, what's up?" Sam tried to shake him from his shocked state.

"It's… I…"

Kensi picked up the object that lay on the blanket, in his lap. "It's a bullet… it looks old and used. It's from a .38 revolver." She showed it to the others.

"Oh bugger!" Hetty murmured taking the envelope from Deeks' still trembling hands. She looked inside only to find a small note. _You should have made it right the first time son, but you were so terrified that you shot me with your left hand. Idiot. Don't worry though, soon we will be reunited, because I'm coming to get you Marty and I will take you to hell with me_.

Everyone froze as she read it out loud.

"But it's impossible. You said that he was dead, the DNA test confirmed that he was dead… how could it be…" Callen spoke, his eyes locked on Deeks who seemed on the edge of going to pieces.

"It must be someone who has something against Deeks, someone who wants to scare him. Maybe Franks sent it before going after him… maybe…" Sam was trying to think straight, but it was hard even for him.

"Mr. Hanna, the fact that Mr. Deeks shot his father is not news anymore, the caliber of the gun he used is known only to a few… but there was only one person who knew that Mr. Deeks used his left hand to shoot…"

Deeks shook himself from his state. Looking at his teammates and at Hetty. He swallowed hard, before finally finding the courage to answer her question. "Yes, only one person knows about it…" He closed his eyes to hide his inner and deep fear. "A ghost."

The end.


End file.
